Over the past couple of years, Instagram has seen almost meteoric growth.
In December of last year, we reported that Instagram had passed 300 million users.
Now, less than a year later, the app has grown to over 400 million active monthly users. Instagram announced the new milestone in a blog post on Tuesday.
Instagram attributes much of its new growth to international users. Out of the 100 million people to join in the last 10 months, about half of them are from Europe and Asia.
In particular, Instagram has seen its user base grow in Brazil, Japan, and Indonesia. Overall, over 75% of Instagram’s users live outside of the United States.
Instagram promotes this global community as one of the app’s appeals, commenting, “What really excites us is the way that visual communication makes the world feel a little bit smaller to every one of us.”
Instagram also reported that a few notable celebrities have been part of the app’s recent growth. Well-known figures such as David Beckham, Caitlyn Jenner, Toni Kroos, and Raffi and Nagita have recently joined Instagram. The app’s insight into celebrities’ lives is part of what has made it popular among users.
A recent Instagram post from David Beckham
Instagram’s fast growth makes it one of the major players within social media. It has surpassed Twitter, which reached 300 million users in April.
It’s still significantly behind Facebook, which boasts more than a billion users, but that’s to be expected. Instagram’s users are sharing over 80 million photos a day, marking it as an active and engaged community. The app also seems likely to continue growing.
As Instagram’s announcement stated, the app will continue to help users “experience the world through images and connect with others through shared passions.”
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Written by content manager Meghan Woolley
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